Remember Me
by xStart.a.RIOTx
Summary: Every time Valentines' Day came, she was always reminded of how she was without him; without her best friend, her crush, her LOVE. She had no way to contact him, she didn't know where he was; in fact, NOBODY did. Not even Brock. Until one faithful day..
1. Him

**Yes! xRiot-6296x did NOT die! :D  
****She is still alive in FanFiction.**

**Oh, and this was supposed to be a Valentines' Day gift to all you Pearlshippers out there.  
****But I guess it's a **_**late **_**Valentines' Day gift now :P**

**Please excuse the horrible-ness of this fanfic, I'm still suffering from a small writer's block (one of the MAJOR reasons as to why I disappeared from FanFiction for an extremely long time).  
****So, I hope you at least find this story the slightest bit interesting, and maybe even enjoy it ;D**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story (Pokemon, Dawn, Ash, etc.)…except for my O[utside] C[haracter], Rachel/Ray.

* * *

"_Dawn!"_

_A thirteen year old blunette quickly turned around, her eyes meeting a pair of dark brown ones. They were full of sincere and anticipation. Dark brown eyes full of anticipation that belonged to a young thirteen year old boy who appeared to be months older than her. He was a boy with messy, shaggy black hair and a red cap covering the top of his head. A smiling Pikachu, who seemed to know the girl and seemed to like her as well, was perched on the boy's shoulder._

_Dawn smiled once she saw the trainer and his Pokemon. So did the Piplup in her arms. "Oh, hey Ash," she beamed._

_The two kids and their two Pokemon were standing within the beautiful atmosphere of a garden which belonged to the enormous, beautiful city of Alamos Town; a town that brought so many sweet memories back to the blunette. One memory that was important to her…the memory of Ash __**saving her life**__. _

_It was just last year, when she was supposed to be competing in a contest that was being held in the contest hall in the town…but the contest never occurred, due to the fact that the town was being distorted and disturbed by a fierce battle between two legendary Pokemon; Dialga and Palkia. While their older friend Brock, a Pokemon breeder, was helping evacuate the people in the city, Ash and Dawn were on their way to save the city from its demise. But at one point…Dawn __**fell **__from a high point in the city, once from an air balloon, and another time from a staircase located near the top of an extremely tall monument._

_But Ash, Ash prevented her from getting hurt during those two times. If he hadn't come to her aid, she wouldn't be standing in this beautiful garden with him right at this moment. And, she was thankful for that. Dawn was thankful that Ash was so good towards her. He would do almost anything for her, just to keep her safe or to keep her happy. He was such a great and loyal friend…and nothing more. _

_Or so Dawn thought._

"_Why'd you bring me here?" she asked in a clueless tone._

_Ash and Dawn had spent most of their Valentines' Day in Alamos Town, from sightseeing to eating ice cream. Brock had decided to leave the two alone for the day, partially because he wanted them to "spend some alone time together", and mostly because he wanted to spend his whole Valentines' Day with Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Center located in the city. _

_Anyway, after they had spent most of the day traveling about throughout the town, Ash had taken Dawn to the famous garden in the town, the garden that was said to be "everyone's garden". They had been there before, when they visited Alamos Town the last time. And now here they were again, standing in the beautiful atmosphere of the fresh flowers and the lush greeneries and trees. _

_It was Ash's idea to head to the garden. And he hadn't given Dawn a clue as to why he wanted to go there._

_The boy chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head, the shaggy strands of his black hair ruffling as he did. "Uh…well…j-just…" he began, stammering each and every word. But then he grinned, and gently placed his gloved hands over the sapphire blue eyes of his best friend. "J-Just close your eyes and wait for a sec."_

_Dawn giggled, thinking that whatever Ash was doing was actually sort of __**cute**__. "Okay!" she chirped in reply._

_Ash smiled at her, and gently tore his hands away from her eyes, making sure they were really closed. After he was sure that she wasn't looking, he quickly prepared himself._

_After making sure he was ready, he stood in front of Dawn and gently grabbed her hand, placing a single red rose into her hand. Her fingers clasped the rose, and felt around the object, curious as to what it was. "W-What is this?" she breathed out._

_Ash chuckled. "Okay, you can open your eyes now."_

_The girl fluttered her eyelids open, and once she did, she saw his hand holding her wrist, and her fingers gently clasping a thornless green stem of a red rose. She was filled with shock and disbelief. Did Ash Ketchum actually give her a rose? And a __**red rose **__out of all the flowers in the world?! _

_Didn't red roses signify…?_

_Ash smiled at his best friend's shocked state. He slowly moved his head forward, and whispered into her ear, "Happy Valentines' Day Dawn."_

_The blunette blushed once he said that. Was this actually happening? Or was it just a dream? She didn't know what to think, whether to think if what was happening right at that moment was actually real or just a fantasy. _

_Ash just laughed, amused and delighted. He then gently placed his lips onto hers, _

…_and __**kissed **__her._

* * *

"Dawn!" an impatient voice yelled. "Hello?! This is no time for daydreaming!"

The blunette blinked, and looked around as she returned back to reality. She was now her eighteen-year-old self, and it's been about five years since she's seen that raven-haired boy.

He and Brock actually left her to go back to Kanto the day after her…the day after he _kissed _her.

Yes, he left her after Valentines' Day that year. His Sinnoh and Johto journey with her had already ended earlier that month, and he decided to continue to pursue his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master. The same went for Dawn for her dream of becoming Top Pokemon Co-ordinator. They had to separate ways in order to fulfill their dreams.

But he was just such a good friend that he decided to spend a little bit more time with her just before he left (and that was another reason why she loved him so much).

But all of that is in the past.

Now, Dawn is one of the Top Co-ordinators, and has finally fulfilled her dream. She actually became famous after winning the Grand Festival in Hoenn when she started traveling with her best friend, May. And she's still on an on-going verge of winning multiple contests in all of the regions. She was actually living her dream, the dream she sought out to make a reality when she was ten.

But…it wasn't enough.

There was something missing.

And it was…

"_Him_…" the eighteen-year-old breathed out with a frown, and sighed after she did.

She missed him so much. And the sad part was…that she couldn't even remember _his __**name**_. That beautiful, yet simple name; as she'd remembered it. Without her knowing, it had gradually slipped from her memory as the years passed by. And that made her furious.

And every time Valentines' Day came, she was always reminded of how she was without her best friend, her crush, her _love_…everyday. And she had no way to contact him, she didn't know where in the world he was anymore…in fact, nobody did, not even Brock. He just disappeared.

It was a depressing feeling not having him with her anymore, and she didn't like it. It made her wish that she should've decided to continue to travel with him and Brock instead of being selfish, and following her own dreams instead.

The blunette mentally slapped herself. _'Yeah, why didn't I do that instead?!' _she screamed inside her mind. _'Dawn, you're so stupid!'_

"DAWN! DO YOU HEAR ME?!" the impatient voice shouted angrily once again.

The blunette jumped up in her seat, and then returned back to reality once again. Her sapphire blue eyes scanned the room, observing her surroundings, reminding herself as to where she was at the moment. She was sitting on top of a plastic red booth, and she wore a sky blue summer dress that complimented the color of her hair and her eyes. Two brunettes she seemed to know were sitting in front of her; though one had mid-length light auburn hair under a green bandana and sky blue eyes, while the other girl had long, straight and layered black-brown hair and amethyst eyes.

They were sitting in a booth of a fast-food restaurant in one of the best malls in the town. The place was crowded, full of young teenagers and young couples, and the aroma of French fries spread throughout the air. Many pink and red decorations were put around the restaurant, signifying that it was Valentines' Day.

"Um, Dawn? I think you'd better speak before Rachel gets mad at you," May muttered to the blunette.

"Oh, erm, okay," Dawn breathed out, a frown still placed on her face. "Rachel, what were you saying?"

The blunette's impatient childhood friend finally settled down once she saw the blunette finally responding to her annoyed yells. "Okay, I was asking you if you had any plans today."

Dawn raised an eyebrow at her. "That's _it_?" she asked in an irritated, yet surprisingly calm tone. "That's what all your screaming was about?"

Rachel sweatdropped. "Er…w-well, you know how impatient I get!" she nervously said.

Dawn and May giggled at the brunette's remark. Rachel eyed them with angry amethyst orbs, but soon joined in with their laughter. She could never stay mad at them for so long, never.

After they ceased their laughing session, they straightened themselves up. "Anyway, do you have any plans for today?" Rachel asked once again.

A frown gradually started forming on Dawn's soft lips. "Uh…well…no."

May chuckled, and grinned. "Mm, I thought so."

Dawn glared at her with furious sapphire blue eyes. "Why are you laughing?! It's not funny!" she yelled.

May ignored the blunette's remark. "Well, since you don't have any plans, why don't you hang out with me and Rachel for the whole day?"

"Really?" Dawn asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought you were supposed to spend the whole day with _Drew_."

Once Dawn said that, May's cheeks started warming up and turning to a shade of hot pink. You see, almost a year ago…Drew and May had _finally _became a couple. Drew had finally gotten the guts to ask out the beautiful brunette. It was so obvious to everyone that they both had major huge crushes on each other, it was something that they've been expecting for an extremely long time.

"Well…w-we had a change of plans," she stammered. "I knew you would be moping around the whole Valentines' Day again, so I told Drew about it…and he didn't seem to mind. So there you go. I'll be spending the whole day with you and Rachel."

An appreciative smile creeped up Dawn's face once she heard the brunette's explanation. "Oh, thanks May!" she beamed. "You too, Rachel."

They smiled back to her, and the atmosphere filled up with warmth and friendship.

Dawn smiled. "So, what are we gonna do?"

* * *

**This chapter was supposed to be longer...but I didn't want to wait until the end of February.  
Oh well. :P**

**Anyway, review this horrible story!  
****Please and Thank You (:**


	2. Memories

**Hey guys! (:  
I changed my pen name from "xRiot-6296x" to my current one now. So…just know that I'm still the same person, but just with a different name.**

**Now, I know I never specified as to whether or not this fanfic was going to remain as a one-shot, or be a multi-chaptered one. But I'll tell you this; I was intending for this story to be a multi-chaptered fanfic from the VERY beginning. **

**And that's what it's going to be (;**

**And sorry for the late update, writer's block is _killing _me. xP**

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. But I do own Rachel and Richard (;

* * *

"Dawn, that looks amazing on you!" May squealed.

The blunette blushed, flattered. She observed herself in the mirror, and spun around in the knee-length light blue gown— that she just bought that day— she wore. She liked the feeling of wearing a dress, it made her feel…sort of, _special_. "Really?" she asked, facing May. "You think so?"

Rachel laughed, jumping into a sitting position upon the plushy mattress of Dawn's bed. "We _know _so."

The three girls— Dawn, May, and Rachel— were in the midst of Dawn's bedroom. The afternoon sun shone through the huge glass windows of the room, so no light in the room was turned on, thanks to the enormous supply of the natural light. The yellow walls helped brighten the mood of the room as well, yet the mess of belongings scattered around did not. But hey, being a top co-ordinator didn't mean that you had to be a clean freak all the time.

The trio had just come back from the Jublife City Mall, which was just a five minute walk from the luxurious condo where Dawn lived. There at the mall, they had spent most of the Valentines' Day morning with each other. They spent many hours searching just for clothes and more clothes, and the result of their shopping spree was very small; Dawn was the _only _one out of the three girls who had gotten something, and it was just one measly dress.

Now, that had gotten the blunette suspicious. Usually when they went shopping together, May and Rachel got at least five things for themselves…but this one and only time, they _didn't_. She had a strong urge to question them about it, and wanted to demand them if they were up to something, but she decided to put it off to the side for now.

But then again, now was the _perfect time _to ask them about it.

"So, why did I need to buy this dress when I have…oh, I don't know, like about _a hundred dresses _in my closet right here?" Dawn asked them, crossing her arms.

Both brunettes, who were sitting upon Dawn's queen-sized bed, immediately became panicked. She was on to them, and that wasn't a good thing. "Erm, all of those dresses in your closet are…um, _contest dresses_, right?" May stammered, unsure if what she was saying was actually true.

"Well, most of them are," Rachel muttered.

May elbowed her. "You don't have to be so literal," she said, so soft that only Rachel could hear. Rachel laughed at her comment.

Dawn shrugged, not buying May's excuse. "I guess half of them are, but still. I didn't really need a new dress," she told them. "And how come you guys didn't buy anything? You guys usually buy at least something for yourselves every single time we go to the mall."

"We…We didn't feel the need to," Rachel replied.

"Yeah…and we forgot our wallets at home," May replied as well.

Dawn raised an eyebrow, eyeing them suspiciously. Seriously, did they expect her to believe those excuses? Recently these days, the two brunettes were _always_ complaining to go on a shopping spree. They'd do anything to take a break from hard-core training and make any excuse to rest up at the mall. She even remembered May complaining about a break at the mall yesterday.

And plus, Dawn could see their wallets in plain view.

"Oh really? Then how come I can see your wallet sticking out of your bag right over there," she said, pointing at the purse that laid upon May's lap, then at Rachel's black jean shorts, "…and Rachel's sticking out of her pocket?!"

May froze; they were caught. "Um…well…I-I…we—"

The dark-haired girl sitting beside her glared at May with frustrated amethyst eyes. May just ruined their cover, and the plan; how could Rachel _not _be frustrated at her? "Real smooth," Rachel said to May in a flat, sarcastic tone, and then turned to Dawn. The expression on her cream face changed from an annoyed look to a worried one once she faced the blunette.

"Okay Dawn…" she started. "We'll tell you the truth."

May sighed, and rubbed the back of her head in frustration. "I guess it's the only thing we can do now," she breathed out, and then turned to Rachel. "This would've been so much better if she didn't know the whole time."

"Well, if you hadn't said that thing about forgetting our wallets at home, we wouldn't be doing this!" Rachel said to May. Her tone made her sound angry and agonized, yet the smirk on her face left her in an 'I-told-you-so' expression. "I told you to leave the excuses to me!"

May stuck her tongue out at the girl; half annoyed, half embarrassed.

"Guys, can we just get back to telling me what the heck is going on?!" Dawn snapped at them, as if she were an angry little girl.

The two girls stopped, and smiled in embarrassment once again. "Oh yeah…" Rachel breathed out.

Then, both of them softened down and straightened themselves up. Rachel then turned to look at Dawn, and began to start their confession. "Anyway, we told you to buy that dress…because we decided that, for once, you're gonna go out and do something _special _this Valentines' Day," she began, a grave expression on her face. "You're not gonna be moping around your room this time."

The blunette froze. What was Rachel talking about? Her heart pounded and raced, she couldn't take the suspense any longer. "What…What are you talking about?" she whispered, slowly, unable to comprehend anything so far. "What do you mean?"

May gave her a weak smile, and placed her hand on Dawn's shoulder.

"Dawn," she started, and then sighed,

"…We set you up."

* * *

"I can't believe I actually let you guys talk me into doing this," Dawn muttered, her mouth in a pout and her arms crossed.

The three of them stood in Dawn's bathroom, readying themselves to go out for the night.

Rachel laughed. "Oh come on, Dawn!" she said. "I mean, what's so bad about going on a _blind date_?"

The blunette glared at her childhood friend. "Two things. One; I don't even know who the guy is. Two; because you two set me up _without _telling me!!" she yelled. "I mean, how am I supposed to be enjoying Valentines' Day with someone I don't even know? It'll just make me feel even _more_ miserable!"

May shrugged. "Well, we thought it would be best for you if you met someone new. You can't be crying over that guy you always think about for your whole entire life. That's just not healthy. You might not even see him again for the rest of your life, and you don't even remember his name!" she reasoned as she brushed her light-brown hair. "And…who knows, maybe this guy will be even _better _than your so-called love."

Dawn sat down on a nearby stool, resting her chin upon the palm of her hand. "Well, how do you know that?"

Rachel smiled. "Because, we've already met him," she told the blunette. She was fixing the white floral knee-length dress she slipped on as she said these things. "He's a really sweet guy, and a real gentleman. We just met him days ago around the streets right in front of that huge hotel near the Contest Hall. And…he is sort of handsome." She winked when she said this.

Dawn sighed. "But…you just don't get it," she whispered, so low that nobody else could hear.

She then stood up, and faced the two other girls once more. "I-I'm just gonna go out to the balcony for some fresh air, okay?" she said, making sure this was alright with them.

Both replied by nodded acceptingly, for they were too busy preparing themselves; May, brushing on some makeup to match up with the red dress she wore, and Rachel, putting the finishing touches to her dress. Dawn flashed a smile, and then walked out, through her room, and out to the balcony.

She sighed, and looked out to the view in front of her. Night had just come, replacing the pink, orange, and blue blends of the afternoon sky with a blanket of navy blue and scattered sparkles of stars…though, the bright lights of the many skyscrapers and buildings of Jublife City distracted the natural beauty of night. But the city was always restless. An atmosphere of rush and excitement always hung around these whereabouts.

But even the night's beauty couldn't soothe her stress. Dawn frowned, and placed both her hands over her heart. It still beated so swiftly, as the status of her being nervous and restless increased. She sighed again. _'What if this guy won't like me at all?' _she thought; she was such a nervous-wreck. It was the idea of a blind date that got her so anxious. She didn't really like the idea of dating a complete stranger.

"But…May and Rachel are here, they're gonna make me do this…no matter what," she whispered. "So, I guess I've got no other choice but to do this."

Dawn breathed in the fresh air, trying to calm herself down once again, and then held out her folded right hand, and gently opened it up.

In her hand…was an old, crinkled photo. There were some tears at the sides of the wrinkled paper, and the picture that it contained was faded. But the most distinctive feature of the photo was that it had a huge tear on its right side, as if it were part of a picture that was torn in half…right down the middle.

Yet, it still served a good purpose. The photograph in her hand was the _only _one she had of _him_…her one and only love.

It was years ago when that picture was taken.

_"Brock…what's this?" a thirteen year old Dawn questioned, looking down at the photograph the breeder had gently placed into her hands._

_Brock, Dawn, and **him** stood at the ferry dock, where a ferry back to Kanto was waiting for the two boys. It was the day after Valentines' Day, the day after **he** **kissed **her, and the day of the last time Dawn would see **him**…**his** Sinnoh journey was finished, and it was time for **him** to go. The sky was gray, and humongous rain clouds hovered through the sky, as if they were saddened by the trio's farewell time as well._

_The picture in that Brock her hands was in fact, a picture of her and **him**, giving each other a high-five after some sort of victory. She couldn't help but smile once she saw the photograph of her and her best friend giving one of their trademark high-fives to each other. High-fives was sort of their thing, she was the only one **he** gave high-fives…no one else but her._

**_He _**_walked beside Dawn, and looked at the picture as well, examining it and smiling once **he** realized what it was. "That's us," **he** beamed._

_Brock chuckled at the two's reactions. "Yeah, I took that picture after you two won that tag battle in Michina Town against Kato and Kiko," he explained. "And I thought that you two could rip it in half, and keep one side with each other."_

**_He _**_and Dawn grinned at the breeder's idea. "That's an awesome idea!" **he **exclaimed._

_Dawn giggled. "Okay, let's tear it in half." The blunette grabbed the side that contained **him**, and **he **grabbed the side that had Dawn on it. They counted to three, and then tore it in half, each holding a picture of the other in their hands._

_"Okay, so I'll keep the one with you on it—"_

**_He_**_ smiled. "And I'll keep the one with you on it, Dawn. I'll keep this forever, I'll **never **lose it," **he** told her, and then embraced her into a hug. _

_"I won't forget you, Dawn. I promise."_

**(A/N: Do you get why I bolded all those "him" and "he" words? If you didn't figure it out by now…those bolded "him" and "he" words are referring to Ash, but I couldn't put Ash's name there…because Dawn doesn't remember his name, and if I did put "Ash" in there, it wouldn't make sense…so we're good here. ;D)**

Dawn sighed as the flashback became fuzzy, and she couldn't remember anything else of the past event. _'Those were the days.'_

She then became frustrated. She could remember the story behind the _only _photo she had of her love…but she couldn't remember her love's _name_?! What was wrong with her? _'I am so stupid_,_' _she thought, mentally slapping herself.

Words couldn't describe the strength of her love for that boy. She just couldn't stop loving him, and she's been trying to since the day he left her. It was just so hard…too much for her to bear. But no matter what, she's still been holding on to it all. She liked holding on to the sweet memories, and keeping pieces of the past. It still gave her hope, hope she'd run into him one day. _'I'll find him…someday,' _she reassured herself, now having a sense of hope.

"Dawn! We have to go now!" she heard May call out.

Dawn quickly snapped out of her thoughts, and turned back to the door leading into her bedroom. "Okay, just a second!"

She then took one last deep breath, and tried to manage a smile, trying to keep her cool down. "No need to worry," she told herself. "It's just a date, right?" She looked back at the picture in her hand, looking down at the boy in the picture, with loving eyes.

'_I just wish it was with **you**.'_

* * *

"I'm so nervous," Dawn breathed out. "May, Rachel…I don't think I can do this!"

The three girls were walking through the loud, restless streets of Jublife City. People were everywhere, coming from every direction. Lights from the skyscrapers and buildings brightened up the night atmosphere. Noises of people talking, phones ringing, cars and buses honking, engine motors running, etc. could be heard everywhere. It seemed that the city was _always _awake, never asleep.

Dawn, May, and Rachel were on their way to one of the best restaurants in the town. May had set up reservations for Dawn and her date, as well as for herself and Drew. She didn't set up any for Rachel…because Rachel…wasn't even sure of what she was going to do that night! Yet she decided to just walk May and Dawn to the restaurant, and then leave to do her own thing (though she wasn't really sure what she'd do yet).

"Relax Dawn, you're gonna be fine," May reassured her.

"But what if this guy won't like me?"

Rachel laughed. "Why _wouldn't_ he like you?" she beamed, flicking a strand of her long layered dark hair out of her face. "Haven't you seen all those fanboys running after you? And plus, you're pretty, wonderful, a great friend, and talented. Who wouldn't like that?"

"She has a point," May added, flashing a smile at the blunette.

Dawn tried to smile, but couldn't manage to. "It's just that…" Dawn started, looking down at the ground. Her love's face flashed through her mind— his light-tan face, his dark brown eyes, his messy raven black hair, the red cap he always wore, the Pikachu that was always perched on his shoulder; oh, she couldn't stop thinking about him.

"You can't stop thinking about him, can you?" May smirked.

Dawn nodded in reply.

May smiled in triumph, knowing she was correct. "Well, maybe this date will make you forget about him. I've already told you so many times, that it's not healthy to hang on to someone that you haven't seen for _years_. It's just not right," May told her. "And, isn't it time that you've let it all go?"

The blunette sighed. "I guess…" she breathed out.

'_But I don't want to.'_

In just a few minutes, the three girls reached their destination. They stood in front of two tall glass doors, the entrance of the restaurant that Dawn's blind date was to take place in. The restaurant looked so enormous from the outside, so huge that it somewhat resembled a "modernized castle".

"Well…this is it," Dawn said, her heart pounding with anxiety.

Rachel put her hand on the blunette's shoulder, and squeezed it, as an act to help calm her down. "…I hope everything goes well for you. And I know it'll turn out better than you think it will," Rachel told Dawn, then giving her a hug. "There's no need to worry."

She then gave a hug to May. "Bye May, good luck with Drew." She smirked once she mentioned May's boyfriend.

"Wait," May started once Rachel pulled away, "you're leaving already?"

The dark-haired girl nodded. "Yeah, I don't want to hold you guys back from your dates," she explained, flashing them a smile. "And besides, I'll see you guys tomorrow. Anyway, aren't I _always_ with you two everyday?"

May smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "Oh yeah…" she breathed out, and then waved, "Okay Rachel, good-bye!"

Dawn smiled as well. "Bye Rachel, talk to you later!"

May and Dawn waved good-bye to their best friend until she was out of sight. "I wonder what she'll be doing tonight…" Dawn wondered. Knowing Rachel, she could just be pondering about the fact as to whether she should be a co-ordinator or a trainer again **(A/N: It's a long story, you'll probably hear it some time later in the story.)** Or, walking off to some private place to do some hard-core training with her Pokemon.

May shrugged. "For all we know, she could be training," she suggested. "…Or maybe even meeting up with Richard!"

Dawn smiled. Richard, that bronze-haired boy, was one of Rachel's bestest friends ever. And Dawn and May could tell that their dark-haired friend had strong feelings for that boy, though Rachel never admitted it out loud to anyone yet. "Maybe…" she beamed, nodding in agreement.

"Oh well, we should be heading into the restaurant now," May reminded her.

Dawn snapped out of her thoughts, and quickly remembered what they were here for; her blind date.

Nervousness and anxiety immediately returned to her body. Her heart started to race, and her body began trembling once again. "May, I really don't know if I can do this…" the blunette confessed, "what if it all goes wrong?"

May turned to her friend, and put her hand on Dawn's shoulder. "Dawn…I _know _you can do this!" she encouraged with a smile. "Just be brave and confident, like how you always are, and I bet things will go fine!"

Dawn looked up at May, taking in the words of her pep talk and encouragement. A smile eventually creeped up her mouth, and she grinned. "Thanks May," she beamed. "I-I needed that, I really did."

May smiled back, with a 'You're welcome, that's what friends are for' expression on her face.

Then, the two walked into the restaurant. They headed over to the Check-In Desk, where May would get their table numbers. At the desk, stood a lady with crimson hair, a porcelain face, and forest green eyes. She wore a formal black dress, usually ones that female workers at fancy restaurants wore.

"Hello, can I help you?" she greeted Dawn and May with a smile.

"Um, yes. My name is May Maple. I have two tables reserved for me and my friend here," May replied to the worker, motioning to herself and Dawn as she mentioned themselves. "One with Drew Hayden, and the other with Ash Ketchum."

Dawn's sapphire blue eyes widened. _'Ash Ketchum…that's the name of my date?' _the blunette thought in her head. _'Ash Ketchum…Ash Ketchum…Ash…why does that name sound so…**familiar**?' _Flashbacks and faces started flashing through her mind, as she sought out to find out why she recognized that name.

"Would you like to know the table numbers?" the worker asked May.

May smiled politely. "Yes please."

"Alright, the number of the table with Drew Hayden is Table 33…" the crimson-haired lady informed, "…and the number of the table with Ash Ketchum is Table 11."

May thanked the worker for telling her the table numbers, and walked off towards the entrance that led into the dining area, dragging Dawn along with her. Then, they stopped right there, and faced each other.

"Well Dawn…I guess this is where we separate," May said, a grave expression on her face…yet a hopeful smile plastered on her mouth.

Dawn smiled nervously. "I guess it is."

"Are you still nervous?"

Dawn smiled in embarrassment, and nodded her head sheepishly. "Very," she breathed out.

May laughed. "I can't believe you; you're so brave onstage when we're doing our contests…but you're getting yourself worried over some little date?!" she said, amusement in her tone. "Dawn, just say what you always say; 'No need to worry.' Because, there really isn't any need to worry, right?"

Dawn laughed, appreciating every word May was saying. "Right," she nodded.

May smiled, and put her hand on Dawn's shoulder. "There's no need to worry, everything will be fine," May reassured her one last time, and then gave her a little push. "Your table's number 11, it's all the way in the back. And he's already there. Good luck Dawn!"

They bade each other a final good-bye, and then went their separate ways; May, heading off to Table 33 where Drew was waiting…and Dawn, walking hesitantly towards Table 11, where Ash Ketchum was waiting for her.

"Who is Ash Ketchum anyway?" she muttered under her breath as she headed towards the back. "Why does that name ring a bell?"

She shrugged it off, and then focused on finding the table where the so-called _Ash Ketchum _was waiting for her. She passed by Tables 8, 9, and 10 already…so that means that Table 11 should just be straight ahead. She quickly walked forward, anxious to finally see who May and Rachel had set her up with.

As she walked forward, she found herself walking through a door that led to the outside tables of the restaurant. There was barely anyone out there, due to the fact that there were only about ten tables out there. It was somewhat quiet, all you could hear was the faint sound of the city. There were beautiful, lush plants and flowers decorated here and there, and the moon provided some light. A field of flowers, and an aqua-blue pond could be seen in the distance. Lit candles were placed on each of the tables out there, creating a romantic atmosphere. The breeze gently brushed through the secluded area.

Dawn scanned the tables for the number 11, and then she finally spotted it. She rushed down to it, wanting to finally see her date, wanting to reveal his identity, wanting to see who Ash Ketchum _really was_.

Once she reached the table, she immediately became surprised with the results.

There was no one sitting at the table. All she saw…was a black fedora hat peacefully sitting upon one of the fancy seats of the table. But, there was a boy, who looked to be about months older than her, leaning against the metal railing of the balcony fence right beside the table, looking up at the stars.

But what surprised her most was how familiar he looked to her; his messy black hair, his caring dark brown eyes, his lightly tanned face…didn't she know someone who looked awfully similar to this description? _'…Who is he?' _she questioned herself.

"E-Excuse me," she hesitantly called out to him.

The boy turned around, his full attention now on her. It looked as if his dark brown eyes widened once he saw her, but that image went away as soon as he smiled at her. And for some reason…that smile just made her _melt_. "Yeah?" he breathed out.

"Um, are you Ash Ketchum?"

He picked up the black fedora hat upon Table 11's chair, and placed it upon his messy black hair, and then smiled at her once again. _'That smile…I…I think I've seen it before!' _Dawn realized as she continued to look at him with wonder.

"I am," he beamed at the blunette. "And you must be Dawn Berlitz?"

The blunette smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm Dawn."

The boy grinned a cheeky smile, and walked towards Dawn. "My name's Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town," he greeted back, holding out his hand. "And it's really great to meet you!" She grinned, loving how he seemed so casual and sweet and gentleman-like, and then gently grabbed his hand and shook it.

And the second she touched him…a memory, one that she hadn't seen in a while, flashed through her mind.

"_You saved my Pikachu! Thanks so much!" a raven-haired trainer, about ten years old, beamed at a ten year old blunette. A red cap with a blue Pokeball symbol engraved on it was casually placed on top of his head, hovering over the strands of his messy black hair. A smiling Pikachu was perched upon his shoulder, looking at the girl in front of them with happy eyes._

_The trainer, his friend, and the blue-haired girl stood in the midst of the forests near Twinleaf Town. The morning sun shined down on them and the sky was a bright blue, promising a beautiful start of a new friendship that was about to take place. _

_"My name's Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and it's really great to meet you!" he greeted. He then held out his hand, which was encased with a green-shaded fingerless glove, for her to shake. The blunette smiled warmly at him, and was about to shake it…but suddenly, they were interrupted._

"_Hi, I'm Brock!" a much older, brown-haired boy greeted as well._

_The blunette grinned, glad to meet the two boys. "Hi guys! My name's Dawn, and this is my partner, Piplup!" she replied enthusiastically, motioning to the penguin Pokemon beside her._

Dawn quickly blinked her eyes, returning back to reality. _'What just happened…did I just have a flashback?' _she wondered, and then looked up at the beaming raven-haired boy in front of her.

He looked so much like the boy in her flashback; loving dark brown eyes, shaggy black hair, a light-tan face, that warm smile…every single time she ran that description through her head, it sounded more and more familiar. Dawn _knew_ that she's known someone who's looked _a lot _like him before.

'_A flashback of **him**?'_

* * *

**Whoopee, this [horrible, boring, rushed] chapter is done.**  
**It didn't really come out the way I wanted it to…oh well.**

**Isn't Dawn so stupid about not knowing how similar Ash and her "love" look?**

**Dawn: I heard that!! **

**And, there might be a hundred mistakes all over this chapter (due to the fact that I was rushing). So, just know that I know that there are already some mistakes in there before you try to yell at me about them.**

**Please review this [poorly done] chapter! ;D**


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